Steering clear of gas prices

Drivers seek refuge from rising oil costs with their mo-peds

Drivers seek refuge from rising oil costs with their mo-peds

May 30, 2006|By BRENT FORGUES Tribune Staff Writer

Already working a second job to keep up with the cost of gas, Terence Hunter bought his first mo-ped a few months ago, hoping its fuel efficiency will allow him and his family to go out as often as they did before gas prices neared $3 a gallon.

Likely to fetch him 85 to 100 miles per gallon, the South Bend manÂ?s mo-ped costs him only $10 to $15 each week for gas, compared to his truck that requires nearly $50.

Â?It goes through gas like it needs to be in AA,Â? he said of his truck one morning last week while he visited EdÂ?s Cycle, where he had earlier bought his mo-ped.

Ed Durrell, owner of EdÂ?s Cycle, 1101 E. McKinley Ave., Mishawaka, cites a 30 percent to 35 percent increase in his mo-ped sales during the last year and a half, mostly from 30-somethings who are looking to save on gas.

Â?Everyone that comes through the door complains about it,Â? he said. Â?People driving SUVs getting 12 miles to the gallon think that this is a pretty good investment.Â?

Durrell said the average mo-peds are as fuel-efficient as HunterÂ?s, sometimes more, and work well for people who need to drive 12 miles or less to work each day.

And as demand for mo-peds has increased, their prices have dropped. Durrell said that two years ago, mo-peds ranged from $1,800 to $3,800. Now customers can find one as inexpensive as $900.

But the increased availability of mo-peds can be attributed to an influx of off-brand products, said Mike Pooler, sales manager of North End Cycle Shop.

Pooler said North End, 2426 Cassopolis, Elkhart, carries well-known brands such as Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki, out of 15 available manufacturers, many of which customers might not be able to find parts for if they need repairs.

Â?ThereÂ?s a lot of junk out there,Â? he said. Â?As demand for them grew and prices tended to rise, overseas manufacturers saw what they deemed an opportunity to take part in the market. So they started throwing together scooters and started shipping them here.

Â?When you buy something youÂ?ve never heard of and the deal seems too good to be true, it normally is.Â?

Pooler said customers need to educate themselves by investigating the brand of mo-ped theyÂ?re buying and what kind of mo-ped will support their weight.

Durrell, who had already taken calls from two people on a recent morning about possibly servicing their mo-peds, said 85 percent of the mo-peds now on the market are unreliable. His business for repairing mo-peds increased by 500 percent in the last two years, and Durrell said he expects to double that this year.

Although he has more than $100,000 worth of parts to service mo-peds, he still finds customers asking about obscure brands that donÂ?t have available parts. He said many of these situations arise from people buying their mo-peds off the Internet.

Â?They canÂ?t see past the price tag,Â? he said. Â?I think some people that come here would buy used food.